The Giants, truly, are never out of a ballgame.
Hours after Matt Chapman was placed on the 10-day injured list with right hand inflammation, the Giants (39-28) scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning to erase a three-run deficit and stun the Colorado Rockies, 6-5. They not only extended their winning streak to six games — all of which have been one run — but avoided a loss to a team that’s on pace for the most losses in baseball history in the process.
“I feel like as a team, we’ve been doing that all year,” Adames said postgame. “We never give up. It feels like we always have an opportunity to come back. That’s how the guys feel in the dugout. We could be down by three, four — it doesn’t matter. We’re going to go out there until the last out and grind every at-bat. I think today was a very good example of how good this team is.”
With tonight’s one-run win, the Giants become the fourth team since 1901 to win six consecutive one-run games, joining the 1989 California Angels, 1927 Chicago Cubs (seven games) and 1916 St. Louis Browns. This also marked the Giants’ 19th comeback victory of the season, their ability to erase deficits being the trademark of this specific team.
“That part of it has kind of been there all year even though we haven’t scored runs and it’s been frustrating. The at-bats like this late in games have always kind of been there,” manager Bob Melvin told reporters in Denver.
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Entering the ninth, San Francisco’s winning streak was headed to its end. The Giants trailed 5-2, their only runs of the game coming from Willy Adames’ first-inning sacrifice fly and fifth inning home run, his sixth of the season and his first since May 13. Left-hander Kyle Harrison, making potentially his final start before Justin Verlander returns from the injured list, was in line for the loss after allowing three runs over five innings.
Trailing by three, San Francisco’s finally found life against the Rockies’ Zach Agnos.
Casey Schmitt, who will be tasked with replacing Chapman for the time being, led off the top of the inning with a solo home run, his first of the year to trim the deficit to 5-3. Tyler Fitzgerald and Andrew Knizner, who got the start after Patrick Bailey was scratched due to a neck spasm, followed Schmitt by drawing back-to-back walks, and San Francisco had a rally.
Lee’s fielder’s choice gave the Giants runners on first and second with one out, then Willy Adames drew a walk to load the bases for Heliot Ramos. Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer pulled the plug on Agnos’ outing and went to Victor Vodnik for the final two outs.
Ramos brought home Knizner with a sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to 5-4 with two outs and runners at the corners for Flores. Flores, as he is wont to do, delivered. The 33-year-old beat out an infield single on a swinging bunt to score the tying run. One batter later, they’d push across the go-ahead run.
Mike Yastrzemski, who entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning, lined a sharp single to right field, driving in Adames and giving the Giants a 6-5 lead.
“When you’re getting at-bat after at-bat that’s really good – drawing some walks and putting pressure on guys — a lot of times, good things are going to happen,” Melvin said.
Camilo Doval entered in the bottom of the ninth to close out the comeback win, but the Rockies had a response of their own.
Doval erased a leadoff single with a double play but the Rockies put runners at the corners with two outs as Doval walked Sam Hilliard then allowed a single to Hunter Goodman. With little room for error, Doval got former Giant Thairo Estrada to fly out to end the ballgame.
